Taking effective step to hire, retain

Published 4:47 pm Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Nov. 18 letter, “Gregoire ignoring volatile situation,” on filling jobs at Monroe Correctional Complex, deserves clarification.

The Department of Corrections has made effective recruitment and retention of correctional officers a top priority. Filling these positions is challenging because the current record-low unemployment means fewer job seekers, but we now use innovative methods to succeed.

The department has launched a broad search for officers, recruiting in the state and across the country. At Monroe, we plan to create a recruitment team based on a model that works exceptionally well at the Washington State Penitentiary. That team has seen a 21 percent return on recruitment in 2007, more than double the normal rate.

Like other law enforcement positions, correctional officers perform an important and dangerous job that must be performed around the clock. It takes a dedicated and motivated individual to work under those conditions, and finding those individuals is a challenge, particularly when all law enforcement agencies are searching for similar candidates.

We now collaborate with other agencies, including the Employment Security Department, the Department of Personnel and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to identify and approach strong candidates. We also work closely with community colleges so that more students are aware of and prepared for careers in corrections.

We work just as hard to improve retention as we do recruitment. All correctional officers recently received significant pay increases. In communities that have seen sharp increases in cost of living, including Monroe, correctional officers received an additional 5 percent pay increase. We also are exploring the possibility of child-care assistance, flexible work shift schedules and affordable housing assistance.

We can and must respond to a competitive job market to meet the state’s needs for qualified correctional officers. We believe these new recruitment and retention methods will have positive results in Monroe and other facilities.

Ken Quinn